To thrive in pro hockey requires the strength of a football player, stamina of a marathoner and the steady nerve of a brain surgeon, all working in top-speed harmony, avoiding hard boards and flying bodies, while balanced on ice by 1/8th-inch of steel.

That could explain Brendan Shanahan's remarkable 21-year career, which is why we lifted that quote from one of his own interviews. Shanahan did it the hard way, from his junior days in London, the punch-up in Piestany, through his formative NHL years with New Jersey and St. Louis, three Cups in Detroit and gold on the global stage.